After The Tone
by Marauder-In-Disguise
Summary: Five years and thirteen voicemail messages, and all Jason Gideon wants is to go home. Written for the New Year Challenge on CCOAC! Slight spoilers for season seven, I guess...


**A/N – So this took a totally different turn to the thing I had planned but I'm a go-with-the-flow kinda gal so let's just see what happens…**

**Disclaimer – I own absolutely nothing. **

"You have thirteen new messages. Message one…"

_Hello Gideon…sir. This is Penelope Garcia, the analyst, from work. Um…I don't really know why I'm calling you and leaving this since you've just left and not said anything to anyone. A letter to Reid? Really? I'm not a profiler, sir, but even I know that's low. Really low. I can't believe that you'd just – well, I am so mad at you right now! So mad. _

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Hi sir, me again…Penelope. Listen, I'm sorry about the last message I left you. I was upset as you could probably tell but it really is none of my business to judge you like that. I have no idea what was going on in your head at the time…I'm still a bit mad that you left it for Reid but well…I guess…if you ever want to talk to someone, sir, I'm always on the end of a line. I don't have to tell anyone that you called me…I just…well, call me if you need someone to talk to._

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Hello sir. Me again. I know that you've probably already thrown this phone and got a new one but as long as it's still working I'm going to leave you these messages just in case you want to hear them. And it will keep working for as long as I want because I'm the one who should have cancelled it when you left and I haven't, and I won't. The others are still angry at you but I think I understand now, I really do…We've got someone in to fill your job. David Rossi. Hotch says you two were friends back in the old days – well, I don't mean old days but – well, you know what I mean. You were friends back when the BAU was new and shiny. He's quite nice but he's not you, sir. We miss you, I think. Even Derek misses you._

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_JJ's pregnant! I don't know if you saw the chaos in New York on the news but we were all there, right in the middle of that. Hotch got hurt in one of the car bombings but don't worry, he's alright. A bit of damage to his ears but nothing that he can't handle. _

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Hey, Gideon. How are you doing? I hope you're alright. I really, really do. Still don't know why I'm leaving these. Maybe I hope that I can tempt you back. JJ had her baby today, and she asked me to be the godmother! Reid is my partner in crime, godfather! He's over the moon. Really over the moon. You'd be pleased, I think. Henry is gorgeous. _

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Hello…oh God…I don't even know where to start – well – okay. Gideon, if you're ever listening to these and thinking about coming back to us then now would be a good time. Hotch was – he was – he was attacked in his apartment yesterday. The Reaper. You know all about him. And now they've taken Jack and Haley into witness protection and Hotch is just – well – I don't know. He's not good. And Reid was hurt too, on the case the rest of them were dealing with. He got shot in the knee. He's okay but Gideon, he was so brave. You would have been so proud of him. So yes…come home, please. Please come home. We need you here because we can't catch The Reaper without you…_

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Too late. It's too late. Oh God, why weren't you here? We needed you! You're the best at this and you weren't here. Where were you?_

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's not your fault. It's just…The Reaper found them and Haley – Haley's dead. He killed her. It's not your fault. He didn't get Jack though, thank God. He hid from him and then Hotch got to the house and well…none of us want to think about what was left of The Reaper after Hotch got through with him….Everyone is alright though…well, as alright as they can be. And I'm sorry again. It's not your fault, Gideon. It's not your fault._

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Did you know, Gideon? Did you know that Emily had been involved in all this undercover international crap? Because if you did and you never told us I'm going to kill you. She's dead…oh God, she's dead…_

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Why do I keep doing that? Blaming you? It's not your fault. I bet you didn't even know. Emily's gone. She was killed by a terrorist she had been assigned to capturing back in Interpol…we're all barely coping here, I can tell you. I'm not sure how many more people Hotch and Reid can lose before they start just banging their heads against the walls…and now it sounds like I'm blaming you again, for leaving. I'm not. I don't mean to. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I hope you're okay, sir. Sometimes I still miss you, for all you annoyed the crap out of me. The others still mention your name occasionally. I really hope that you're happy now. _

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Emily's alive! She's alive, sir! _

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_Hotch has a girlfriend. Can you believe it? I thought he'd never get over…well, it's great news anyway. Reid turned thirty yesterday. You know, I don't think you'd recognise him, but we both know that's not a bad thing. He's so bad ass now. He knows who he is, you know? _

**-AFTERTHETONE-**

_God, my hands are shaking! I can't talk…my boyfriend, Kevin, has asked me to marry him! I said yes, of course. I know a good thing when I see it. You'd like him, I think. He knows about nerdy stuff other than computers – I think you two could have a real conversation about politics or something. I'm getting married, sir! I can't believe it…I've asked Rossi if he'll give me away, and I was thinking that if you were still here, it would probably be you that I asked instead. It seems odd to think about that now…I'm sorry. You're invited, of course, to the wedding. I would love it so much if you came…just so I know that you're alright…I still worry about you. I hope you're happy._

With trembling hands, Jason pressed the phone to his ear and listened in amazement as each new message began to play. Thirteen messages, more than two a year since he had run away, and all this time he hadn't known about them. He'd been cleaning out the old locker in the back of his truck, throwing away the old fishing gear and tackle, when he came across his old work cell buried deep at the back. He hadn't used the thing in five years and didn't expect it to work but he found a charger that fit and plugged it in anyway, for old time's sake. He never had been quite strong enough to throw it away.

And what a story Garcia had to tell. By the time he got to the message about The Reaper he was slumped in the driving seat of his truck with tears in his eyes. By the time he got to the one about Haley he was crying, and by the time he got to the end he was already belted up and on the road. For five long years he had convinced himself that everybody was better off with him gone, made starkly clear by the fact that no one had tried to get in touch with him. It was selfish to think like that, he knew, but after a lifetime of sacrificing everything to the army and to his work, he was prepared to be a little bit selfish. That's what the whole 'leaving his life behind thing' had been an exercise in anyway – showing himself that he could be selfish sometimes and the world would keep right on turning. It was something that he had forgotten, for such a long time.

Only now he had proof that someone _did_ care.

And he had an invitation to reply to.

Maybe, just maybe, it was time to go home.


End file.
